Community-engaged research: getting it right to strengthen health communication and public health

Community-engaged research (CER) enhances research processes and outcomes by improving recruitment, bridging perspectives, and expanding the reach of study findings. These practices are particularly vital for collaborating with historically marginalized communities and addressing health disparities. Yet barriers to conducting CER should be acknowledged and redressed. In this commentary, I call for greater institutional and funder support for community-engaged approaches within health communication and public health research. Drawing on experiences from several CER projects, I highlight key challenges and opportunities for building sustainable partnerships between researchers and communities. For meaningful progress, transparency about levels of engagement, fair payment for community partners, and systematic and actionable evaluation of engagement practices are essential. Ultimately, strengthening the practice and support of CER is critical to sustaining and building public trust in science and protecting public health.